ME101 Lecture 4 - Climate Change in the Desert

Marked by hot and arid climate and vast disparities of security and wealth, climate change brings unique challenges to the Middle East. The region is already battling with common challenges of water scarcity, desertification, biodiversity loss and low levels of food self-sufficiency, aggravated by climate change. Temperatures in the region have already risen by 1.5°C — twice the global increase over the past three decades — and climate models for the region until the end of the century estimate a continuous rise. Rainfall in the region has become more variable and the intensity and frequency of climate-related hazards such as extreme temperatures, storms, floods and droughts have become more visible and are likely to increase because of climate change, exacerbating existing environmental, socio-economic and security challenges. The objectives of this lecture are twofold: provide an overview of climate change challenges facing the Middle East region and discuss current policies meant to mitigate the effects of climate change in the region.